The Bible is a powerful collection of writings.  It has the power to change lives, to give hope, to inspire and encourage. It instructs and edifies, and gives us a sense of wonder. It’s a story of adventure, and a love letter to all of us. It’s a story of the fall of mankind, and their redemption by a Savior.

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The Word of God is a living book, written directly to us and for us, and it applies today just as it did when it was written hundreds of years ago.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Why Is Reading The Bible So Important?

As a Christian I believe it’s crucial to be constantly in God’s word.  Here is why it’s so important:

• Reading the Bible helps us to know God:  The Bible tells us about God, gives us insight into God’s character and answers our questions about who he is, and how he has saved us from sin.
• The Bible helps us to know God’s will for our lives: The message of eternal salvation is vital to the scriptures, but the Bible also reveals a lot more about how God would have us live. We see recorded examples of Biblical figures and how they lived, and we see what pleases God and what doesn’t.
• Reading God’s word helps us to see the big picture that God has planned for us: Knowing the scriptures and making them the final authority in your life can help you to live the good life that God has planned for you, and to guard against attacks that the evil one has coming your way.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work 2 Timothy 3:16–17

12 Places To Get Free Bibles

We know that the Bible should be an important part of every Christian’s spiritual life. Even if you aren’t a Christian, reading the Bible can give you some useful insights (for example, about money), and make you think about things in a way you may not have before.  I’d encourage you to get a Bible and explore these ancient and living writings.

If you would like to get a physical copy of God’s Word, there are a lot of places that you can get a Bible for free.

 A Christian Church Near You

Probably one of the first places you can go to find a Bible is your local church.  Most churches will have Bibles available that you can take with you, either a smaller pocket version, or a larger study type Bible.

To find a church near you (if you don’t already have one), check out a church directory like this one.  When you attend, ask if they have a Bible you can take with you.

Your City Library

You may not realize it, but your local library will almost always have a Bible for you to use. Often they’ll have multiple copies, with some of them being fancy study Bibles, or versions or translations you may not have read before.

Sometimes they’ll even have free copies available that you can keep. Give your local library a call and they’ll be able to tell you.

BiblesforAmerica.org

Bibles for America will send a free copy of the Recovery Version of the Bible. This version was first published in 1985 by Living Stream Ministry, and the one they send out will be only a New Testament.

They’ll send one copy out to you free of charge, with shipping paid.

FreeBibles.net

Since 2000, FreeBibles.net has mailed over 30,000 Bibles free of charge to the homeless, sick and incarcerated.

They are entirely a volunteer organization with 100% of financial donations going toward purchasing Bibles and postage.  If you don’t qualify for one of their free Bibles, they’ll link you to where you can find one for an affordable price.

MyFreeBible.org

Spread The Word Campaign – Free Bibles For Those Overseas

LeSEA’s Spread the Word program will provide a free Bible for people who are overseas.  The program launched in 2000, and since then over 700,000 Bibles have been distributed.

If you are a new believer in a place like Egypt, Colombia, Iraq, Solomon Islands, Malaysia, Zambia, Togo, Austria, Pakistan and Iran, they’ll do their best to ship a free Bible to you!

The Gideons International – The Nightstand At Your Hotel

If you’ve ever stayed at a hotel you know that just about every hotel room has a Gideon Bible in the night stand drawer.

What you may not know is that those Bibles are there for you to use or even to keep if you’d like. The Bibles are replaced often and are put there for you to use, so don’t be shy.

The scriptures are placed there by a group called The Gideons International, and in addition to hotels you’ll find them in key locations like hospitals, convalescent homes, medical offices, domestic violence shelters, prisons, and jails.

A Friend Or Family Member

If you have a friend or family member who is a Christian, in most cases they’ll have more than one Bible at their house, and would be more than glad to offer one of them to you.

I know I have several and would love to give one to a friend (or even a stranger!).

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

Your Local Thrift Store’s Book Section

This one may be a bit out there, but sometimes you can go to your local thrift store and find a really nice Bible either for free, or for extremely cheap.

Just head to your local thrift store, head to where they keep the books, and look for a Bible.

8 Places To Get An Online Bible For Free

While it’s great to have a physical copy of the Bible on hand to read, it can be more convenient at times to study the Bible on your laptop, phone, tablet, or other mobile device.

Here are some places that you can go online (or on your computer or via a free Bible app) in order to read the Bible – in a digital format.

You Version  – Free Bible App

YouVersion is the gold standard for online Bibles with over 1,774 Bible versions in over 1248 languages.

They have the Bible for your computer via the website (Bible.com), and for your phone or your tablet via their amazing free bible app.

Full disclosure, I’ve been a heavy user of YouVersion for years, and even enjoy the many Bible reading plans and studies that they have available via their app.

Bible Gateway

Bible Gateway is a searchable online Bible in more than 200 versions and 70 languages that you can freely read, research, and reference anywhere. With a library of audio Bibles, a mobile app, devotionals, email newsletters, and other free resources, Bible Gateway equips you not only to read the Bible, but to understand it.

Bible Study Tools

BibleStudyTools.com has a myriad of Bible translations, I counted over 50 last time I checked.  They have pretty much any translation or version you can imagine, along with multiple commentaries, concordances and even devotionals.

They give you pretty much everything you need to further your studies in the scriptures.

Blue Letter Bible

BlueLetterBible.org has multiple translations available and allows you to search for certain topics, and even has devotionals that you can use.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. – John 1;1

Biblica.com

Biblica, the International Bible Society, has a searchable NIV Bible in a variety of different languages. Want to read a passage in Spanish and English at the same time?  Ready them side by side with their tools.

Study Light

Studylight.org has a wealth of resources to help you study the scriptures, in addition to articles, historical writings and pastoral resources.

Audio Treasure

AudioTreasure.com has a library of free mp3 audio version of the Bible, in multiple languages. Download the .mp3 files upload them to your favorite player on your phone or computer, and listen to the Bible as you drive!

The Online Bible

The OnlineBible.net has a free Bible software that you can download for use on your PC or Mac.  It has multiple translations, commentaries and more to aid you in studying the scriptures. Also has some support for displaying foreign languages.

Get Your Free Scriptures – A Physical Or Digital Copy

There are a lot of places that you can get a free copy of the Bible, and in many different versions, translations and languages.  It’s just a matter of figuring out which one you want.

Hopefully whichever Bible you receive will speak to you, and change your life as much as mine has.

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. – Romans 10:17

If you’re looking to make a change, and want to accept Jesus, please check out this post that examines the truth about God, sin, Jesus Christ and our response to Him.

Know of other places to get a Bible for free?  Tell us in the comments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I get a Bible for free?

There are a lot of places that you can get a Bible for free. The Gideons place free Bibles in hotels and often say to “take the Bible, not the towels” as they regularly replace one that are taken. You can also usually find a free Bible at your local church, a variety of online Christian ministries, or you can read it via a variety of free websites and apps.

Why do hotels have a Bible?

The Gideons International, an evangelical Christian association founded in 1899 by two traveling salesmen, provide complete Bibles, New Testaments or portions thereof in over 100 languages for free to hotels. As of 2015 they had provided over 2 billion Bibles. Each Gideons Bible costs the organization about $5 to print and distribute.

What is the most popular version of the Bible?

13 percent of Americans say they have purchased a Bible within the past year, but what are they reading? According to one study 55 percent read the King James Version (KJV), 19 percent read the New International Version (NIV), and from there the percentages drop into the single digits for competitors such as the New Revised Standard Version, New America Bible, and the Living Bible.

What was the original version of the Bible?

The original revelation of the texts of the Bible were given by God to some 40 different people over a span of 1600 years, with the last one, the book of Revelation, being written over 2000 years ago.It was first written down in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. There are over 5000 complete or partial copies (copies of copies) of the originals, and to an amazing extent they agree with each other with no major variations. Because what we have are copies of so many different manuscripts, there is no single location where the “original Bible” is housed, but ancient manuscripts are housed in many different museums all over the world.

How much does a Bible cost?

The very first printed Gutenberg Bibles, of which Johannes Gutenberg printed approximately 180, were expensive. It was pre-order only and averaged about 3 years clerk wages. These days there are many organizations that will provide a Bible for free, but if purchasing a copy for yourself a standard King James Version on Amazon showed a price history in a range from a low of $11.25 to a high of $24.99 according to CamelCamelCamel.com.

What is the most accurate Bible?

In general, most English translations are going to be over 99.5% accurate, with minimal variance between them. Many scholars agree that the New American Standard Bible (NASB) is the most literal or closest translation in English to the original Hebrew or Greek. Other scholars prefer translations based off of the Byzantium texts alone for the New Testament and eschew the Alexandrian texts, and for them the New King James Version (NKJV) is considered most accurate.